Respect for the fallen

Ok. Enough. Instead of the hate talk, how about you do some reading. Go to the Wikipedia page on Michael Jackson's life and read the section "1993–1994: Sexual abuse accusations and marriage". You should really read the whole thing but since you probably won't, I'll transpose some of it here so you can get a feel for the relevant information (text was bolded by me):

Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old child named Jordan Chandler and his father Evan Chandler. Sometime afterwards, Evan Chandler was tape-recorded saying amongst other things, "If I go through with this, I win big-time. There's no way I lose. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever...Michael's career will be over". A year after they had met, under the influence of a controversial sedative, Jordan Chandler told his father that Jackson had touched his penis. Evan Chandler and Jackson, represented by their legal teams, then engaged in unsuccessful negotiations to resolve the issue in a financial settlement; the negotiations were initiated by Chandler but Jackson did make several counter offers. Jordan Chandler then told a psychiatrist and later police that he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex, as well as giving a detailed description of what he alleged were the singer's genitals.

Read the bold part again. Seems a little suspicious? That's because it is. I'm not saying I know definitively that he is not a pedophile. For all I know he could be a pedophile, but c'mon people you're acting as if YOU were there. It's ludicrous. The simple fact is the man was never convicted by our judicial system (settled out of court to stop his name from getting dragged through the mud any longer). If you have a problem with that you have a problem with the judicial system, and not Michael Jackson.

Now, aside from rumors and accusations read the rest of the Wikipedia page on his life. How about his charitable work?

- "He donated his $5 million share from the Victory Tour to charity".
- "Jackson co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie... 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief."
- "From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund, and all of the profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity."
- "In 2000, Jackson was listed in the book of Guinness World Records for his support of 39 charities".

The list goes on and on. The man is to be admired, even before considering his ground breaking music that changed an entire industry and inspired hundreds of young people to become musicians. His talent is off the charts, his giving spirit is nearly unparalleled, and he's the ultimate entertainer.

A man passed away yesterday. He was a good man, and yet all you can talk about is an incident where someone tried to take advantage of his generosity in order to make a quick buck. For shame. Even if you don't agree with that interpretation of the incident with Jordan Chandler at least give the man some respect for a lifetime of accomplishment both on and off the stage.